Helen's is a south county institution. Hard to believe it's been around for over 20 years, but it has endured with a basic formula: a good location with a huge bar area that's big enough for bands, dancing, and big groups such as work happy hours, bachelorette parties, etc. Â They book well known local music- pop DJs, pop bands- and have great happy hour pricing. Â Sexy bartenders, shot girls, you know the drill. Â The food is your most basic bar food- lots of choices but average in quality. Â For most of the packed crowd in here each weeknight and weekend, food is not the priority, so there is no impetus to offer anything but the most basic fried apps, wings, sandwiches, and a few dinner entrees. Â
I work in Sunset Hills and occasionally wind up here for lunch. Â It's not my first choice, but it does the job. Â I had a decent burger a few visits ago, but the fries were undercooked and mushy. Â My last visit I got a buffalo chicken sandwich that was overcooked and dry, plus light on the cheese and sauce that was supposed to accompany. Â I got house-made chips as a side, and those were tasty, much better than the fries. Â Lunch service is fast and friendly- they cater mostly to the business crowd for lunch so understand the need to get in and out quickly. Â
There are a lot of people in my nearby office, and Helen's is one of the few places that we can actually have an impromptu work event. Â In planning events, we often reserve a space to accommodate our large size. Â Either that or pack ourselves like sardines into a smaller place while making every other patron hate us while also going drastically over fire code! Â Helen's is a great, nearby alternative for us that we use all the time. Â
I also appreciate their being an independent, local spot in a sea of mostly chain places out in the county.
Aside from mealy tomato in my Cajun Caesar Wrap and a waiter with attention deficit disorder I got nothing worse to say about this place.
I ordered a cup of their house gumbo that never made an appearance. Â When next our waiter appeared with our lunch I just said " I guess we'll just forget the cup of Gumbo". Â A side from respiration and clearly breathing on his own, the only reply was " oh yeah, Â sorry about that" Â and off he trotted.
The place is what it is, Â a Syberg restaurant and a relic that has seen better decades. Â I'm sure it has it's following with the bar and live music but I seriously can't imagine why I'd ever go back short of perhaps a wake. I can only sum up my experience as leaving me in a state of indifference that makes CJ Mugg's look like a 4 star.
Helen has been around for ages and she is starting to show her age. It's probably been 8 years since my last visit and things haven't changed at all. Â I'll take that back, on the menu there was a couple items marked with a shamrock with the word New inside it.
We had an <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FEntertainment.com&s=ecb0d29f4d40db0a3b8df7630f613241e3bc61711a59f1a5f3ca9bd1c8162174" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Entertainment.com</a> coupon for $5 off $20, so we thought we'd give Helen a try. Â Arriving around 2PM, we were after the lunch rush so The Grill side was fairly empty. The host asked us if we preferred a booth and we responded, yes. He seated us, asked for our drink order and quickly returned with our ice teas and told us who our server would be. As we waited for our server, I noticed they had a green cup on the table with dice, pencils and score cards. How cool, you can play Yahtzee or Classic 6 while you dine.
Our server showed up, we declined appetizers (watching weight) asked a few questions and requested more time to glance over the menu. When he returned, I asked about the daily special and decided to order it, which was a Turkey Wrap with Fries. The SO ordered a Cajun Chicken Wrap with House Chips.
My wrap had an enormous amount of turkey that was accented by bacon and cheddar cheese. The crinkle fries were larger then most crinkle fries I've experienced and were seasoned well with a mixture of salt and pepper. I only ate half of my wrap, meaning I have the bulk of my lunch for work tomorrow ready to go.
The Cajun Wrap wasn't as good as my turkey. Â Nothing can ruin a wrap quicker then a mealy tomato. However, the House Chips in my opinion were better then those served at Llwelyn's or Dressel's. Sliced thin, fried crisp and the right amount of salt seasoning gave them one of my three stars.
The service was lack luster, I think our server must have been worn out after the lunch rush. I was disappointed to see their to go vessels are Styrofoam. Â May have been embossed with a pretty design, but it isn't Eco friendly.
When visiting Helen keep in mind, The Bar is a meat market for the young to hook up and The Grill is more for the aged to get a meal with friends. Helen has been around for years and it will be years before I return.
You will either HATE or LOVE this place. Â There is no in between.
Reasons to love it...
- Live, loud music.
- Lots of good looking people.
- Lots of bar games.
- Decent food.
Reasons to hate it...
- Live, loud music.
- A cover most weekend nights.
- Lots of obnoxious people looking to be noticed.
- Good food, but how do you eat when there's a party going on?
Tip... if you're not looking to walk into a club, go on a weeknight. Â Otherwise, service is nonexistent.
Looking for a non-chain option on Lindgergh led me to try this South County institution with a girlfriend for a pre-movie dinner. Having skipped lunch that day, I was especially starving when I walked in. I was happy to find that the cajun chicken sandwich had a good flavor and the homemade chips were tasty. I also enjoyed the cheap beer special. The service pretty much ignored us, but the place was PACKED when we were there (5 pm on a Friday). We were sitting at the bar, so it was easier to flag someone down than it would have been at a table. I would go back if I was looking for a good sports bar in the area. All-in-all, Helen Fitzgerald's does its South County job admirably.
Review Source:Don't get me wrong. Â The food is very good, but the bar part of this place sucks. Â We went in for a cards game and when the cards won, someone in the group bought a round of shots. Â I ordered a Jack Daniels because I enjoy it. Â When I took mine, I noticed that it was cut with water and cost $7.00. Â What a sh*tty thing to do. Â I would rather go to Syberg's on Gravois or Market for the bar, but if you are going for lunch and just getting beer, you should be fine.
Review Source:One of the worst places in the St. Louis area. The food is adequate but the service is terrible and rude. If you are there for the late night crowd they are somehow even more rude.
My lunch meal was accidentally served to a different table. No big deal, but after that person had been eating the fries and pullling apart the sandwich he sent it back. The waitress took the plate from in front of him and walked to my table and set it in front of me.
My first time at Helen's was quite fun and I know I'll be back soon.
There isn't much in South County anymore and this establishment has made its name well known. Â If you get there before 9, no cover; if you get there after 9 its $5. Â We had gone over to the restaurant before hand and because we had ordered stuff there we got in for free to the club side.
Lots of people, lots of tables, lots of great drinks. Â The band was loud but good.
Come to have a good time - I sure did!
I have been to Helen's before for lunch with friends, and honestly I can't remember the experience as anything spectacular.
However, hubby and I decided to see Metal Studz in the bar area on a Saturday night and had a blast!! Â The drinks were good, as well as reasonably priced. Â I'm a martini drinker, and I find it hard to get a good martini that isn't horribly expensive. Â They were really great here, and our tab was not outrageous.
The only reason I wouldn't give it a 5-star rating is that in the advertising in RFT and online, Helen's never lists the cover charge for coming in with a band. Â We knew there was one, but how much?
The only thing I've ever ordered here was mozz sticks, so here's my review of the food at Helen's: The mozz sticks are fantastic.
The real reason to go here is the bar side. Every time I've ever gone to Helen's I've had a KICKASS time. And not because I spent all night pounding Jaeger bombs with Chad and Bryce either. You can go here and act like an adult and still have a kickass time (surprise!). Probably because they have some GREAT bands that play this venue pretty regularly...Metal Studz (80s hair band covers in full costume) and Extremely Pointless (think 105.7 The Point) come to mind.
The dance floor gets packed tighter than...well, it gets packed tight...when these bands play, just be warned. You may have to do a little crowd swimming, and Chad and Bryce may be in your way every once in a while, but it's worth it in my book.
Also, this place is second only to Fast Eddie's as far as people watching goes.
Fast Eddie's - Bikers = Helen Fitzegerald's
Oh, and Helen's is about as Irish as William Wallace, but if so many people can fake an Irish heritage for St. Patty's, then I think all the good times there are to be had at Helen's earns it a pass of sorts.
I went with a large group on the night of game 7 of the World Series and we didn't go to watch the game! We actually went to eat. So, the rather large bar was packed and the smallish dining area was virtually empty. Service was still excellent. BUT in no way is this an Irish restaurant. Serving corn beef and cabbage and Guinness on tap does not make an Irish pub. Don't expect to find bangers and mash or shepherd's pie. But you can expect hearty pub food and reasonable prices. And for that I can recommend this place.
Review Source:we were seated with 1 menu for 2 people, no explanation. there was no wine list so we stuck with water. ordered appetizer and when it came we asked for plates. after waiting and waiting i got up and got some from another table. Â calamari was tasty but very small serving. sauce on side was good. pricey. i had a very disappointing salad of iceberg lettuce some walnuts and some chicken boring and not what the menu said. service was iffy. Â wings..eh ..when will restaurants realize that having the floors swept next to your dining table is just down right nasty. Â really really nasty. .well next time we will go to culpeppers. this just did not meet expectations.
Review Source:Helen Fitzgerald's is better known as a drinking establishment, but we've been to the restaurant a few times iver the years.  Results have been mixed, but I continue to have this image of being presented with a very heavy plate of food.  This is a meat and potatoes restaurant.  The décor seems to have been upgraded just about every time I've been there.  Not with a lot of imagination;  the theme seems to be "a tribute to Helen" who is the Syberg brothers' grandma.  The end result of these upgrades?  I would describe it as one of the nicest restaurants in Fargo.  Not prompting any of our locals to take pictures, to be sure.
The sleek Applebee's-type menus aren't doing them any favors, in my opinion - just makes them seem like a chain and sets my expectations low.
The three of us each had meat and potatoes: Â I had a bacon and blue cheese burger. Â The burger was huge and the meat seemed to be quite lean, which is how I like it, but not good if you want juicy. Â Fries were limp and undercooked - a definite disappointment. Â The wife had the half fried chicken (Sunday special - $7.95). Â It was cooked perfectly, but seemed to be seasoned only with salt and pepper. Â Nothing special - can't complain much for the price. Â The little one had chicken fingers and fries. Â The chicken was not good, like maybe it was frozen/microwaved. Â
Meh's all around. Â Service was great, but the kitchen? I get the feeling their heart's not really in it. Â Based on my other Syberg's experience, maybe you should go with the wings or pizza. Â I guess we'll go back in a few years. Â It's convenient.
Helen's is my neighborhood bar. I have been there many time and I never get tired...of people watching. Some like idiots, some like romeos, whatever the case may be it isn't dull. Having said that, Helen's is not my "go to" bar but it is close so I accept that it is what it is.
Drinks are very reasonably priced except when I ordered a draft import beer and my friend ordered a shot of whisky and our drinks cost the same. I think in that case, I was overcharged and said friend was under charged. I decided not to hold it against them.
If you like local live bands, Helen's books them often. Most weekends there is a band playing and the cover can be from $4 to $10 to get in. Even during the week there is live music or sports playing or both. It gets very loud in the joint during either of those but that could be a good thing if you need outside stimulation to get the party started.
Since Helen's is the offspring of Sybergs, you already know they have killer wings and shark bites. Other than that it has typical bar food. The burgers are decent. Obviously not high end cuisine but everyone knows you can definitely screw up a burger and Helen's manages not to.
Overall, take it for what it is. Helen's skews very young and caters to the baseball cap and demin crowd who thinks a ball cap and demin is dressy. I wear both but know the difference.
I am the biggest fan of the Syberg's/Helen Fitzgerald's chicken wings. This place has perfect service, food and atmosphere for lunch and dinner (Monday - Friday afternoon). But if you are coming on the weekend, for some reason the service seems sloppy and the crowd is personally too loud and annoying for my taste.
The normal bar goers seem very rude and no respect for people playing darts - which is a big thing for our friends. While here our waitress took each person's credit card to start separate tabs - which is fine. HOWEVER, she set all of our credit cards down on the bar and two drunk guys stole them!! Spent the whole evening talking to the police and trying to stop the charges on my credit card. The manager could have definitely handled the situation better.
All and All - I will go back for lunch and dinner, but never for a good time on the weekend.
Helen's has a huge bar area, which was a good thing last week when my co-workers and I brought in about 25 people. And there was a table to fit us. Happy hour specials are decent, but the waitstaff on the bar side was excellent. We has one girl covering all 25 of us (as well as who knows how many others), and she did a great job!!! Other than that, it was just like most other bars...functional meeting space + booze.
Review Source:Meh...this really isn't my kind of place.
Helen Fitzgerald's is owned by the same people who own Sybergs, which means a lot of their menu items are the same.
I came here on a Friday night for a friend's birthday party. There was a group of about 6 of us, which isn't a terribly big party. But our waiter seemed to have issues taking care of us. Not sure what was going on there, but he kept forgetting drink orders, not keeping our water glasses full, etc. Eventually we just asked him to keep the water pitcher at our table.
The food was mediocre and overpriced, IMO. I ordered the shark bites appetizer, and it was just meh. I remember the shark bites being SO good at Syberg's when I went there years ago! Maybe my tastebuds have changed or the quality has gone down, because these weren't impressive at all.
Coupled with the inattentive service, I doubt I'll come back to Helen Fitzgerald's anytime soon.
The bar area is huge! The atmosphere was as expected for a bar restaurant.
I went during their weekday happy hour which runs from 2-6pm. Then from 5-6pm they bring out the complimentary appetizer buffet (yes, that's right FREE food). The food is brought out right at 5 and once it's gone, it's gone! Everything was fairly spicy...so you want to keep on drinking. The appetizers the day I went included breaded mushrooms, mini tacos, chips with spicy salsa and pizza with jalapeño pepper slices.
Great for groups!
Helen Fitzgerald's is always busy and we always have to wait when we go here. The food is typical "bar type" food, which is fine, but when we want a family meal this is not the place we go. We can barely hear one another over the crowd of people!
The only thing that kept it from getting two stars was their homemade chips and their fries!
i only go here for lunch. i love the lobster and seafood bisque's when they have them. i agree that for dinner they can be slow. for lunch they are a little quicker. i think they will wait on the regulars and business people quicker. if they do thats not fair. they usually have lunch specials but they are starting to get very repetitive. spaghetti, moscholli, etc....food is good. i like that they have an outside area to sit on nice days.
Review Source:Went here randomly on Easter Sunday of all days. I thought I'd heard good things about burgers here. The burger I had (Irish Smokehouse with ham, bacon BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese) was very good. Unfortunately, that was about the only thing I like about Helen Fitzgerald's besides the glass clover on the door.
The service was inattentive and slow. After having been seated for around 15 minutes, the hostess checked on us, which was good since no one else had.
My fiancee, not as hungry as I, ordered just a cup of soup and order of spinach artichoke dip. That dip is normally a salty dish, so that was not unexpected. However, the crackers it was served with were also very salty. She said by the end of her meal all she could taste was salt. The soup (Irish potato & onion, which we both had) was very heavy. The bacon tasted more like Bac-O-Bits and the rest of soup was more onion-y than most French onion soups I've had. I think she finished her cup. I did not and not for lack of hunger.
I had fries served with the aforementioned burger. Usually fries don't get much attention whether they're good or not-so-good. These were bad. I was served fat, crinkle-cut French fries. They were mostly soggy. Even ketchup did very little to help. I have had frozen Ore-Ida fries out of a bag that tasted better than these!
The lone bright spot was my burger which was cooked to medium and very juicy. The bacon was just crispy, perfect for a burger, while the ham added an extra layer of smokiness. This was all topped with a very thin BBQ sauce. This seemed right since I usually do not like BBQ on my burger as I feel it tends to mask the other flavors. It did not happen here.
So kudos on the burger. Unfortunately, probably not enough to make me suffer through another meal here.
This place actually advertises itself as an "Irish Grill & Pub," but it's only marginally more Irish than the Syberg's restaurants owned by the same people. Â In fact, the only "Irish" features are:
1) A four-leaf clover in the logo
2) Corned beef and cabbage, which they don't actually eat in Ireland
3) "Irish" stew, which is made with beef although apparently lamb is more traditional
4) "Irish" potatoes, whatever the heck that means
5) Presumably, Guinness on tap, although I didn't ask
Other than that, it's more or less standard Syberg's fare. Â They have the same wing sauce, they have the shark bites, yadda yadda yadda.
I'm a big fan of stews, so I got the "Irish" stew. Â I was pleased; it was quite flavorful, as was their potato soup. Â Their chips were tasty; my wife liked her chicken sandwich, smothered in their famous wing sauce, but I wasn't terribly impressed.
Our food came out pretty quick, but one person at the table sent his back because it was cold, and they also forgot to put cheese on some sandwiches that people had asked for cheese on.
I've been to the bar section before, which is all right. Â They also have a few games to play -- pool, darts, and the like.
All in all, I find Helen's to be a decent experience, although not all that memorable. Â It's the kind of place I won't say "no" to if someone else suggests it, but it's not the kind of place I'd go out of my way to visit.
I never really expected to include a guy in spandex and good food as highlights of the same establishment, but that's pretty much how this review goes.
The food is above average for a bar. If you're so torn between getting the homemade chips or the fries (because they're both amazing) that you consider getting both, this is a good thing. The burgers are solid, and my friend was really happy with her grilled chicken. It's not haute cuisine, but for a bar? More than decent.
We went on a Saturday night and got to see one of the most excellent glam/hair cover bands ever. The frontman wore flame-printed spandex...can you get better than that?
Yes, it gets crowded. The staff really is there to serve you, though -- if you're nice to them when you ask if there's a free table, they'll hunt one down for you. We might have just gotten lucky that one opened up for us 30 seconds after we got there, but the door guys were really great about it, and I don't think I would have minded a wait. Our server was perky and friendly, and even though it was crowded, we weren't waiting long for drinks or food.
This would be a much more fun bar if it were less crowded.
It's actually kind of spacious inside with several different rooms. It's got everything you think you would want in a bar--pool tables, flatscreen TVs, live music on the weekends, and a patio area.
But, again, it just gets SO crowded. And not only does it get crowded, but it gets slightly out-of-control. I've seen a few fights here and seen a few people get kicked out. No, thank you. Not my cup of tea. If that wasn't the case, I would say that it would be a good place to go. I wouldn't be opposed to going here again...I'll just be sure to streer clear of stray punches.
While Helen's is definitely on the rowdy side, the bands they hire are often quite good. Â The one time I ate here I got a pizza, which was also surprisingly...quite good. Â
It's hard to find an open seat on busy weekends, so I'd recommend coming early. Â Helen's is usually far too loud for my sensitive eardrums, but I'm aware I might be in the minority here. Â The service is below par though, with bartenders, door men, and cocktail waitresses rarely seen with a smile on their face.
Since I like Syberg's on Gravois, you would think I would like Helen's too (since it is a Syberg's restaurant), but like many of the local family owned small chains, once they grow the chain and build bigger restaurants (like Helen's) they have a tendency to plastic-coat the new place until it loses its authenticity. Â
As far as pub-grub goes, Helen's (Syberg's) is still a contender, but the atmosphere and layout are not there for me. Â Too crowded, loud, fractured layout, and the clientele seem self-entitled with a tendency to get hostile when they don't get their way. Â It seems like a big warehouse with TVs, loud music and a door man that acts like you should feel privileged to enter. Sports enthusiasts may like it here because they have flatpanel TV's EVERYWHERE.
I am occasionally forced to go here as compromise to my county friends who come my way  more than I go theirs, but I'd rather not.  Helen's gets a-ok from me for their food only.  I agree with Amanda that there are other bars nearby that may be a better choice.  I recommend Growlers for their beer garden.
PS. Â Watch out for so-co cops here. Â They're outside in force and ready to get ya for that one drink over...
I know I am going directly against my South County roots here, but I am just not really all that enthralled by Helen's.  I feel like there's a Lindbergh High reunion every time I am there (not literally of course) and not being a  Lindbergh grad, well...it just ceases being fun for my friends and I after a while.  The atmosphere is ok, even though it can get pretty packed most weekends, and the food is decent.  The drinks are, well, they are standard for a bar and grill in these parts and the prices run about the same as anywhere else on South Lindbergh. Â
All that said, I guess other bar and grills in South County just tickle me more than this one. Â It's not bad, it's just, well, not really all that special compared to the strip of like-minded bars in the same three block radius.
When I was in school in Chicago and would come back to St. Louis on my breaks, Helen's was one of the top spots I needed to go while I was home. I still love it there, and go back all the time for their awesome wings- they're hot but not in a wicked kind of way and they are nice and crispy even though they're doused in sauce. The bar is fun too although sometimes it can be tough to get decent service and it gets super smoky by the end of the night. Happy Hour specials aren't too shabby though, and they serve appetizers for free. Be prepared to show up early, because the appetizers are a free-for-all so you have to use some muscle to get them.
Review Source:Helen Fitzgerald's is a great place to go for live music, pretty good food, and competitively priced drinks. This place does a TON of business, thus its prices are always super low (even at dinner time). The atmosphere at Helen's is pretty typical of a STL bar and grill, lots of local pictures on the walls, lots of local sports stuff, etc. If there is a band that you enjoy playing here, I would definitely head out to see them and take advantage of the really good drinks and food.
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